Monday, January 27, 2014

Call Me Julia...

Well ok, you probably shouldn't. But I did teach a friend how to roast a chicken yesterday. It's an easy meal, in terms of ingredients to gather, but it was fun to make and share.

We started by preheating the oven to 400 and washing some red skin potatoes. Those were tossed with a good splash of olive oil, some sea salt, and a few sprigs of fresh savory.

I think cleaning the chicken was the hardest part for my friend. I showed her how to trim the fat and remove the giblets. Unfortunately the organs weren't in a bag, so I may or may not have dropped the liver and made a squish noise...

We rubbed the chicken with olive oil and salt, and stuffed it with onions and fresh savory, thyme and sage. Then both chicken and potatoes went into the oven for 90 minutes.

We served dinner with green beans lightly sauteed in olive oil and lemon infused white balsamic. There was a salad with a homemade dressing of olive oil, lemon infused white balsamic and fresh herbs. All in all it was a great dinner. The chicken was juicy, the potatoes soft on the inside with crispy skins, and the beans were just tart enough to add an extra bit of depth to the meal. Paired with a crisp sauvignon blanc, it was a great first effort.

I think this dinner together and cooking lesson will become a weekly thing. Stay tuned for updates!